The House of Lancaster has a unique identity and playstyle, but its passive economy and population scaling currently give it a noticeable edge over other civs. Below are three suggested balance options—any one of which could help bring the civ more in line while preserving its core strengths:
- Have manors consume 3 to 5 of the population space they grant
This would reduce the civ’s maximum army size in the late game. Instead of providing a full +10 population for free, manors could reserve part of that space—softening their military scaling without heavily impacting their eco utility.
- Limit House of Lancaster to 170 max population
Since manors provide roughly 30 villagers’ worth of free economy, this would prevent the civ from also fielding a full-cap army larger than opponents while needing fewer villagers to sustain production.
- Remove the +10 population bonus from manors
Manors would still generate passive food and wood, but players would need to build standard houses for population. This would slow their midgame power curve without removing their identity.
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Why This Matters
Lancaster can build up to nine manors, each costing 200 wood but functioning as a house and generating ~45 wood and 60 food per minute passively. That adds up to a reliable eco that can’t be harassed like villagers. Lancaster Castle grants arrow slits to nearby manors, making early aggression or harassment extremely difficult.
As a result: House of Lancaster can run fewer villagers while sustaining strong production, freeing up more pop for military units. Other civs need a higher villager count to keep up, meaning they usually have a smaller army. The above options aim to rebalance this advantage without removing what makes the civ unique.